Flexible, temporary highway signs for advance warning to a motorist of an approaching unsafe driving area or construction site are well-known in the art and is exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,984 granted on Jan. 1, 1991. The highway signs under consideration are constructed of flexible fabrics, such as plastic mesh materials or reflective vinyl and polyethylene materials in the form of polyethylene or vinyl plastics some of which have fluorescent materials embedded therein. These highway signs are preferably maintained in a display position vis-a-vis a storage position by means of reinforcing frame members constructed of flexible plastic materials that allow the sign and the reinforcing members to bend on their stand through a substantial angle, without tipping over in response to winds or wind gusts created by motor vehicles and the like. The reinforcing frame members may be removably secured to the flexible sign by means of "corner" pockets that are either "soft" pockets sewed on the sign itself or molded plastic members defining a socket and secured to the sign for removably securing the ends of the frame members. The soft cloth pockets were supplanted by the molded plastic "corner" pockets. One such molded plastic socket is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,800 granted on Jan. 24, 1984. The molded plastic type of corner pocket is preferably in the configuration produced and sold by the Bone Safety Corporation of Marrieta, Ga. and the Reflexite Corporation of New Britain, Conn. that is constructed of a rigid polycarbonate material. This type of molded plastic device is utilized in the highway sign of the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,984 as discussed therein. The polycarbonate corner pockets have been found to be inelastic or rigid and brittle thereby being subject to being cracked or shattered in use. A further embodiment of the rigid "corner" pocket is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,490,934 granted on Jan. 1, 1985. This later mentioned type of rigid "corner" pocket is alleged to eliminate the need of flexing the flexible sign reinforcing members for the flexible highway signs for insertion into the "corner" pockets.
When the rigid "corner" pockets are utilized with flexible sign reinforcing members of the type of glass reinforced polyester, plastic pulltrusions, commercially available, they can be bent through approximately a 90 degree angle without breaking and will spring back to their original straight position; see prior art U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,984 noted hereinabove at column 4, for example. Experience with the use of rigid "corner" pockets have revealed that with the continuous flexing of the sign material the single point of connection commonly utilized to secure the rigid pocket to the flexible signs material breaks through the securement end of the "corner" pocket and tears a hole in the highway sign. The flexing of the highway sign in use under wind loads such as when the flexible reinforcing members are either installed into the rigid pockets and flexing back and forth in the wind or during disassembly therefrom, results in the outside corner of the "corner" pocket functioning as a pivot point that is jammed against a hard supporting surface in the assembly or disassembly of a sign or jammed into the sign stands as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,894 granted on Dec. 26, 1989 or jammed into its storage container, all leading to tearing away the securing fastener for the rigid pocket. To the same end when the assembled highway sign is in use and continuously flexes due to the prevailing winds and the like, the sign has been found to flex about the free corners of the rigid hard pockets whereby tears or punctures in the sign materials results therein such as in the polyethylene mesh and vinyl plastic materials in common usage. These problems, then, with the use of present day "corner" pockets constructed of rigid materials shorten the useful life of the highway signs and corner pockets. Accordingly, there is a present need for an improved mounting bracket or "corner" pocket that is not constructed of a rigid material or a soft material, such as a cloth material, that has an extended life when used with present day, flexible advance warning signs and does not reduce the useful life of the warning sign.